With our extensive range of interior doors for sale, 27EStore provides various guides explaining how to measure interior doors to order your custom-produced doors and how to paint interior doors to achieve a perfect, professional finish.
Today, we’ll work through the process of hanging an interior door correctly, ensuring the door opens smoothly, shuts flush, and sits properly within the frame.
The Importance of Accurate Measurements
Because all of our premium doors are pre-cut to your specification, you will not need to plane the door or adjust the frame. However, if you have purchased a standardized door, it may be necessary to trim the edges using a wood saw or plane to make slight adjustments.
One of the best ways to verify that your new door is the ideal size for the frame is to ‘test fit’ it, either enlisting the help of a friend to hold the door against the frame or using a few nails in the corners of the frame to keep the door steady while you check the sizing.
The aim is to have a very slim gap of roughly two millimeters between the door and the frame, which is around the depth of a one-cent coin. This space allows the door to move and settle without letting in draughts or becoming stuck in the frame.
Fitting Interior Door Hinges
Before your door is ready to hang, you will need to measure against the frame to determine the right placement for the hinges, which come pre-supplied. You can either use the ‘test fit’ process above or hold the door still with wedges while you mark the hinge position with a pencil.
Next, you should measure the hinge plate thickness and mark the depth on the door. If you are installing a new door on an existing frame, the wood will already have a gap for the hinge plate to sit in. Otherwise, you should plane a small amount of wood to accommodate the plate, using a chisel and hammer and removing tiny amounts at a time until the hinge can fit inside the recess.
The next task is to drill holes into the frame aligned with the holes in the hinge plate–creating pilot holes first means the wood will not split when you screw in the hinge, and makes it easier to complete the installation if you are working alone.
Hanging an Interior Door
Finally, you are ready to hang the door–hold it at a ninety-degree angle and use wedges to keep it stable. Start by installing one screw at the bottom of the hinge plates, and check that the door opens and closes correctly. If you are happy the door is moving smoothly, you can finish applying the screws to both the upper and lower hinges.
It is worth double-checking that the door is hanging properly and isn't abrading on the edges of the frame once everything has been completed; snags or catches can impact the longevity of the door and frame.
Troubleshooting Common Problems Hanging Interior Doors
Here, we’ll run through some frequently reported issues and how to avoid them:
1. Hanging the Door Upside Down
This mistake may seem unlikely, but it is possible to hang the door the wrong way around–before the hardware and handles are fitted, it is not always obvious which way the door hangs. If you have a door style with panels within the surfaces, the taller panels should be at the bottom.
2. Fitting a Door That Opens the Wrong Way
Testing that the door opens smoothly and sits inside the frame is important, but this can also be useful if there is any potential for the door to be hung opening left instead of right, or vice versa. We suggest thinking about how the previous door opened, where applicable, or checking for sockets and switches that might impact the best way to hang your door.
3. Using the Wrong Tools to Hang a Door
Good quality tools will inevitably make it easier and faster to hang a door. For example, a chisel is necessary if you need to plane a recess for the hinge plate, and using a drill will ensure screws are more secure than if you fit them with a handheld screwdriver. You will need wedges, a tape measure, a pencil, a mallet, a chisel, a drill, a screwdriver, hinges, and screws to finish hanging your door.
For the best pre-hung interior door options, 27EStore has you covered. Check out our wide range of interior doors to suit any aesthetic today!
